Despite a tragic incident in his past, which has prevented him from returning there for years, Silas Matheson decides that his uncle and aunt's wilderness lodge is the best place for him and his two young sons to make a new start once his ex wife leaves to pursue a career opportunity abroad.

After all, there was a time when he was deeply happy living there. And growing up in that town, and exploring in the Sierra mountains, strongly influenced his career choice of environmental conservation.

But Silas is unsure about what awaits him in his old hometown. Because he cut off his friends Meg and Danny when he left the area, unable to cope with the memories of their friend Jessica - also his girlfriend at the time - who had disappeared without a trace after the four of them hiked into the mountains.

What Silas never expected though, was to find himself in a nightmarish replay of that earlier incident, when his own two boys suddenly go missing in the mountains.

Not only does it lead to an unplanned reunion with Danny and Meg, who are now two of the members of the local Search and Rescue Team, it also drags to the surface emotions that lay buried in the past. But is Silas prepared for the reckoning that is ahead?

This absorbing novel involves dual timelines and very effectively demonstrates the price of the secrets people keep, and the lengths they will go to protect them.

So I loved this book. I was enraptured from page 1 to the very last page. I didn't want it to end.

A complete messed up, dissaray of a story and i loved it. The story jumps between past and present. Which I loved. All in all a great read,

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read and give a honest review in exchange

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

I was back and forth on how I feel about this one. It was too slow in some parts but readable and interesting in other parts. I was invested enough to be curious about how it would end and I especially enjoyed the earlier timeline. The “reveal” was a little too Scooby Doo and predictable but overall this was a pretty good read, about 3.5 but I’ll round it up to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Amy Hagstrom for this ARC ebook. The Wild Between Us will be published November 7, 2023.

The Wild Between Us by A. Hagstrom, published by Lake Union Publishing, is a full-length, stand-alone novel.
Silas just moved back home . The single father of two little boys inherited the B&B of his aunt and has his work laid out for him.
He left 15 years ago after losing one of his friends who simply vanished.
Tragedy strikes again and this time his boys the ones who need rescuing. But they're running out of time.
Meg and Danny, his old friends and now members of SAR helping finding his sons. But old feeling playing into this too.
A complex, complicated mess, a slow burn that had me on the edge of my seat, I just wanted to know what happened to the kids. The story jumps between past and present, a bit too much imo. All in all a great read, 4,5 stars.

I loved this book. It hooked me from page 1. It's a dual timeline. In the current day, two boys go missing in the mountains. In the timeline from the past, we learn the former girlfriend of the boys' father went missing in those same mountains when he was a teenager. The characters were great. I kept turning pages to find out what happened to the boys and the old girlfriend. The details about search and rescue were great. I felt like I was there with them. Highly recommend.

Silas returns home to Sierra Nevada with his two young sons after inheriting his uncle’s lodge. Silas hasn’t been home in fifteen years since his friend vanished without a trace. It isn’t soon after returning that Silas’s boy go missing as well.

Silas’s panicked calls bring in the local search-and-rescue unit which contains two familiar faces, his old friends Danny and Meg. As the search gets underway, the three friends are plunged into a recurring nightmare and they can’t help but think this can’t be happening again.

When lives are on the line, they know there is no escaping the truth.

I really enjoyed this one and it had me feeling so many emotions, it was such a wild ride. The thing I didn’t like about this one was the flashback chapters. They started so far in advance that it didn’t make sense to me, and I found myself skipping large portions of them. The stories eventually did come together, but I felt that most of it was unnecessary and distracting. This book was definitely a search and rescue story, more literary fiction. I loved the different point of view that were present. The characters were all well developed and complex. The atmosphere of this book was also described very well, so it felt like you were right there with the characters. I really liked how this book was wrapped up as well. I love it when all the loose ends are tied up.

If you are looking for an emotion search and rescue story, then check this one out.

Thank you so much to Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley @netgalley, so sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was AMAZING. I loved the flashbacks and just pure desperation that you see. I was desperate to understand the dynamic and relationship between the three friends and what exactly happened between them. Everything coming full circle was just absolutely crazy to me.

I really love search and rescue novels, and the author did a great job of showing her knowledge on the subject with no monotony. Two young brothers are lost in the wilderness, the same area where a woman disappeared 15 years before. The connection between the two stories was well written. I really enjoyed this book. I can imagine further stories about some of the major characters, and would love a sequel. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Silas moves with his two young sons to a family cabin in the Sierra Nevada region. However, Silas is haunted by his past. Fifteen years earlier, Silas went for a hike in the wilderness with his three friends, Jessica, Meg, and Danny. But, Jessica did not make it out. And she was never found.

Fifteen years later, history is repeating itself. Silas' two boys go missing in the same woods. Meg and Danny now work for the search and rescue team., helping with the search of Silas' boys. The three friends are thrown into the past. The weather is turning stormy. With every minute, the boys have less of a chance making it out alive.

Unfortunately, this book was not it for me. I found it quite boring at times. It lacked any thrills or exciting twists. The premise of the story is intriguing, which is why I requested a copy. But it really lacked any thriller elements. The dual timeline really drew things out. I was not interested in the past timeline at all. It was boring and repetitive and added nothing to the "mystery". This should be classified as a search and rescue story, not a mystery. The description of the book should be changed to reflect the same, as other mystery readers may be drawn into this book under false pretences.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.

Who did what? I love a good wilderness mystery. This dual time line mystery kept you guessing.

The rescue of two missing boys in the Sierra Nevada mountains relies on unraveling the mysteries of the past in an addictive novel of heartrending suspense. After inheriting his uncle’s lodge, Silas Matheson hopes the grandeur of the California Sierra Nevada will be a fresh start for his two young sons, and a chance to finally face his demons. It was here, fifteen years ago, that Silas and his friends Jessica, Danny, and Meg ventured into the mountain wilderness and Jessica vanished without a trace. When his boys go missing in the same dark woods, the fear and guilt that Silas has been running from ever since come crashing back. Silas’s panicked call brings in the local search and rescue unit, and two familiar Danny and Meg. As the frantic search gets underway, the three friends are plunged into a painfully recurring nightmare, each of them thinking, This can’t be happening again. With a storm brewing and the boys’ fates threatened with every desperate hour, the secrets of the past begin to surface, and this time, for Silas, Danny, and Meg, there’s no escaping the truth.

This is a well-written search and rescue book that has two timelines and a mystery contained in it. My only complaint was that it seemed to make heroes out of two characters and villainizing one. I was hoping for a twist at the end after a not-so-shocking reveal. Most people will love this

I’m going to be honest, at first I had a difficult time with the dueling dual timelines featured in this book. BUT I was intrigued by each timelines separately that I kept reading and when I tell you my mind was blown, I’m also being honest. There was a few more details I wish had been included about a certain someone and their part in the search for the missing people. Did that certain someone actually know where at least one subject of the search was? Would that person really endanger a subject of that nature? While those questions may never be answered, I’m happy with the answers we got and how the whole story tied together.

What an exciting ride this was! In this dual timeline noel an ages old mystery and a real time rescue combine to keep you turning the pages and I was pulled into the action straight away. The characters and the landscape leap off the page - such vivid writing. I'll definitely be looking forward to more from this author.

This book was ok but kind of predictable. I guessed the “twist” and it all wrapped up neatly in a bow at the end. For me this book didn’t have anything new to offer that would make it a must read.

I wanted to love this one so much but I really struggled being pulled into the story. I did finish it, so overall it wasnt to the point to stepping away from, but there was other directions I wish the story took.

I loved this book! Right from the beginning I was sucked into needing to know what happened to Spencer and Cameron, as well as what happened fifteen years ago that sent their father out of town, and it only got more propulsive from there — I read the last 30% at record speed. Hagstrom does excellent work seeding clues throughout both timelines that lead to a satisfying conclusion when all is revealed, and her clear amount of research and understanding in search-and-rescue made the plot all the more tight, unnerving, and believable. Can’t wait for others to read this one!

Amy Hagstrom is a gorgeous new voice in the literary world. By turns suspenseful, gut-wrenching, and exquisite, The Wild Between Us follows two search-and-rescue operations decades apart, involving the same main players. Fifteen years ago, Meg, Danny, and Silas were seemingly inseparable, yet the disappearance of a classmate while they were all hiking together broke them. That missing classmate was never found, and the secrets they've kept about that day haunt them even now, as thirty-something professionals and parents. When Silas' children go missing in the same place, it feels like judgment. Before the search is over, the secrets they've been carrying for years will surface, wrecking and redeeming them.

Hagstrom's writing is deeply immersive, both emotionally and in terms of place. It's hard to believe she's creating a setting rather than describing one that exists in real life. The Sierra Nevada surround and envelop you as you read.

Likewise, these characters are incredibly complex, deeply flawed and yet compulsively relatable. I wanted to tear through the pages and at the same time I wanted to savor every word. This book is simply breathtaking, on every level.

I loved reading this one. The flashbacks to the past whilst searching for the 2 mising lads in the present really brough the story together. It was nice reading about the atmospheric backdrop of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the characters dual-timeline.

I love survival stories. In The Wild Between Us by Amy Hagstrom, two small boys are lost in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The story focuses on searching for the two boys and flashbacks to 15 years ago when a high school girl went missing in these same mountains and was never found.
The story was interesting, particularly when the actual search was going on. It lagged for me by going back and forth in the timelines. Overall a good & exciting read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this digital ARC.

"The Wild Between Us" by Amy Hagstrom was a dynamic read - with dual timelines and a gripping story line. I usually steer clear of anything related to missing children, but quickly learned that the story of the Sierra Nevada mountains and expert search and rescue crews were far more compelling and digestible than a typical thriller/mystery where children are abducted or hurt.

The slow burn of learning more about Silas and his friends in high school was layered with personal conflict and maturing relationships. Balanced with the present day panic of losing his children to the same mountain where he lost his former girlfriend was riveting. Around the 50% mark, I started to wonder when things would pick up and once I hit 75%, I couldn't read fast enough to find out how the story would end.

From how Jessica went missing to if the boys would be found and in what condition, to how Silas' relationships with Meg & Danny would evolve, I was immersed. Amy Hagstrom's writing had me feelings right next to each of the characters as the story unfolded, with her descriptive use of the environment, taking her time to untangle the webs in each plot, and pacing the reveal really intensified the book for me. It kept me guessing and turning the pages as fast as I could!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC. All opinions are my own.